Lyman Briggs, director emeritus of NIST, and Ossie Bluege, comptroller of the Washington Senators and, formerly, the club's third baseman and manager, at Griffith Stadium in 1959. Briggs demonstrated how to measure the spin of a pitched ball with the aid of a flat measuring tape affixed to the ball. Other Senators who assisted Briggs were pitchers Camilio Pascual and Pedro Ramos, catcher Ed Fitz Gerald, and Manager Cookie Lavagetto.

Wind Tunnel Measurements

Photograph shows airflow past spinning ball in a wind tunnel. The wind is coming from the right at the speed of 60 feet per second. The spin1000 revolutions per minuteis counterclockwise at right angles to the wind. (Courtesy of Professor F. N. M. Brown, Notre Dame University)